What a BACnet Profile Is
A BACnet device profile is a standardized capability level: a checklist of things a device must be able to do before it can wear the label. Profiles are defined in Annex L of ANSI/ASHRAE 135-2024, and they exist so a specifier can write one code (for example B-BC) into a tender document and demand a whole capability set without listing every service. The checklist items are BACnet Interoperability Building Blocks (BIBBs); a device documents its claim in its PICS (Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement).
Profiles come in two roles. B-role profiles are devices and servers, the controllers and field equipment that answer requests. A-role profiles are operator interfaces and clients, the workstations and displays that initiate requests and receive notifications. The families below follow Annex L’s own grouping.
Controllers
The workhorse device profiles, from the full building controller down to the simplest sensor.
| Profile | Name |
|---|---|
| B-BC | Building Controller |
| B-AAC | Advanced Application Controller |
| B-ASC | Application Specific Controller |
| B-SA | Smart Actuator |
| B-SS | Smart Sensor |
Operator Interfaces
The human-facing profiles, from the full engineering workstation to a basic display.
| Profile | Name |
|---|---|
| B-XAWS | Cross-Domain Advanced Workstation |
| B-AWS | Advanced Operator Workstation |
| B-OWS | Operator Workstation |
| B-OD | Operator Display |
Life Safety
Controllers and operator interfaces for fire and life-safety systems.
| Profile | Name |
|---|---|
| B-ALSC | Advanced Life Safety Controller |
| B-LSC | Life Safety Controller |
| B-ALSWS | Advanced Life Safety Workstation |
| B-LSWS | Life Safety Workstation |
| B-LSAP | Life Safety Annunciator Panel |
Access Control
Controllers, door and reader devices, and operator interfaces for access control.
| Profile | Name |
|---|---|
| B-AACC | Advanced Access Control Controller |
| B-ACC | Access Control Controller |
| B-AACWS | Advanced Access Control Workstation |
| B-ACWS | Access Control Workstation |
| B-ACSD | Access Control Security Display |
Lighting
Lighting controllers, control stations, and lighting operator interfaces.
| Profile | Name |
|---|---|
| B-LS | Lighting Supervisor |
| B-LD | Lighting Device |
| B-ALCS | Advanced Lighting Control Station |
| B-LCS | Lighting Control Station |
| B-ALWS | Advanced Lighting Workstation |
| B-LOD | Lighting Operator Display |
Elevators
Elevator controllers, monitors, and operator interfaces.
| Profile | Name |
|---|---|
| B-AEC | Advanced Elevator Controller |
| B-EC | Elevator Controller |
| B-EM | Elevator Monitor |
| B-AEWS | Advanced Elevator Workstation |
| B-EWS | Elevator Workstation |
| B-ED | Elevator Display |
Miscellaneous
Infrastructure and specialty profiles. These are the only profiles a device may stack alongside a profile from another family (for example a controller that is also a router and a BACnet BBMD).
| Profile | Name |
|---|---|
| B-RTR | Router |
| B-GW | Gateway |
| B-BBMD | Broadcast Management Device |
| B-ACDC | Access Control Door Controller |
| B-ACCR | Access Control Credential Reader |
| B-SCHUB | Secure Connect Hub |
| B-DAP | Device Address Proxy |
General and Authentication
| Profile | Name |
|---|---|
| B-GENERAL | General profile for devices that do not fit another family |
| B-AS | Authorization Server |
What Chipkin Provides
The CAS BACnet Stack implements the BIBB sets behind the B-role device profiles, and Chipkin’s BACnet test tooling covers the A-role operator profiles for conformance testing. Talk to us about the profile your device needs to claim.